Hybrid work will be default for Singapore’s public employees

Singapore’s Public Service Division (PSD) will be introducing hybrid working arrangements, reinforcing that “hybrid work is not an entitlement” and the requirements of the job “take precedence”, highlights a report from the Public Accounts Committee. 

The committee had discussed the potential impact of the shift to hybrid working, which would likely become a permanent feature of the public sector workforce, according to the Office of the Clerk of Parliament.

PSD said that it would introduce appropriate controls to manage people, workplace health, cyber and information security in the move to hybrid working arrangements. 

Within the public service, remote working has enabled “more nimble collaboration” across the government, with coordination across diverse agencies. 

“The mainstreaming of hybrid work in the Public Service would allow the Public Service to lock in the productivity gains from remote working initiated during COVID-19, while balancing the need to foster teamwork and organisational cohesion,” read the report.

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“Public sector agencies should determine the specific provisions that best suit the business needs and operating context of their organisation. Officers should also adjust their work-from-home schedule to give precedence to organisational needs,” said PSD.